


Consideration

by Gala_and_Elle, theletterelle



Series: Slantverse [52]
Category: Bandom, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, Grounding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 20:10:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/904388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gala_and_Elle/pseuds/Gala_and_Elle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theletterelle/pseuds/theletterelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brendon knows something’s wrong with him.  (Flashback)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Consideration

**Author's Note:**

> Kink bingo penance/punishment square

The door opens before Brendon can get his key in the lock. His dad stands in the doorway, filling it, looking at Brendon with a look that makes him quail. Dad doesn't say anything but "Come in," standing aside to let Brendon enter.

"Living room," says Dad, and Brendon hunches his shoulders and obeys. Mom is sitting on the loveseat, her face troubled. "Sit," says Dad. Brendon perches on the edge of the sofa. He crosses his arms and glares at the floor.

"Two o'clock in the morning," Dad says. "Care to explain yourself?"

Brendon shrugs. "I was just out walking," he mutters.

"At two a.m.?" Mom asks.

 _Well, obviously_ , Brendon wants to say, but he's been trained to be polite. He just shrugs again.

Dad pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why?"

"I just... felt like walking." It was that or go berserk sitting around the house one more night. It was a Saturday night; everyone went out Saturday nights. It was practically a law. They didn't have a movie called Thursday Night Fever, did they?

"This late at night?"

"Well it wasn't this late when I left," says Brendon.

Dad's face darkens. "I don't need to hear your smart mouth right now. What were you doing out so late?"

"I was walking," Brendon says, glaring harder at his shoes. "What? You didn't mind when Mason went out on Saturday nights. You friggin' gave him the car. Now I want to go for a walk and it's this huge freakin' deal, jeez."

"It's a huge deal," says Dad, voice rising, "because a, you didn't tell us you were going, b, you didn't tell us when you'd be back, and c, you're giving us attitude now."

"Why didn't you say something when you left?" Mom asks.

"Because I didn't know I had to _ask_ if I wanted to leave the house." Brendon's own voice is rising. "What, am I housebound? Am I grounded forever and no one told me? I went out, okay? I went for a walk, is that so hard to understand?"

"That's enough. No, you're not grounded forever, but a week ought to do it. Go to your room." Dad points at the door. Brendon stomps out and up the stairs. He pauses at the top and hears his mom say "...a lot more agreeable than his brothers..." before going to his room and slamming the door.

He opens his window. It's the best he can do. He dives onto his bed, grabs his pillow, and yells into it, over and over until his throat is scratchy and he's coughing. He sits up and throws the pillow across the room.

Brendon _would_ have asked, was the thing. He would have, but he's seen the troubled looks from Mom when he does their laundry as well as his own, and the slight disappointment in Dad's face when he used to let Kara pick the TV shows or movies. He really doesn't remember Mason or Matt asking each time they left the house, and the more he compares their lives to his, the more he worries.

And then there are the dreams. The stuff that happens in dreams is supposed to be symbolic, so him being on his knees with his forehead on the ground doesn't actually mean _on his knees_ , but it's obvious that he has something wrong with him. So he's trying harder, acting the way he should act, but it feels weird and he's getting it wrong, so what's he supposed to do?

Brendon gets up, picks up the pillow and tosses it back at his bed. He goes into the shared bathroom, drinks a cup of water, and sighs. He wants to go back down and apologize. He has no idea if he should.


End file.
